In order to improve product traceability, prevent counterfeiting and isolate the source and extent of safety and quality control problems, Marlton, NJ-based supply chain software and services provider Acsis worked with Cognex to respond to the emerging serialization mandates and requirements facing their pharmaceutical industry clients. Acsis and Cognex delivered a serialized packaging data management (SPDM) solution designed to convert demand from the pharmaceutical manufacturer’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in order to drive individual packaging lines and production cells. Serialization using SPDM is introduced throughout the manufacturing and packaging process by integrating with existing equipment. Smart camera vision systems such as the Cognex In-Sight 5605® 5MP are a small, but critical component used extensively in the serialization solution, not only to validate the presence, accuracy, and readability of the various labels, but also to ensure product safety and package integrity.

　　Acsis, a leading developer of pharmaceutical warehousing and distribution solutions, addressed the challenge of upgrading the huge installed base of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment to comply with imminent serialization requirements by developing a robust data management system for serialized product to meet current and future national, international, and customer mandates while simultaneously leveraging the benefits that serialization can bring to the production and control processes. The Acsis SPDM solution is comprised of six distinct stages that can be implemented in total or independently of each other based on the serialization requirements of the implementation:

　　?Stage 1: Bottle identification and verification
　　?Stage 2: Label printing and verification
　　?Stage 3: Bottle and label cross-referencing
　　?Stage 4: Bundle aggregation
　　?Stage 5: Case aggregation
　　?Stage 6: Pallet aggregation

　　“The Acsis SPDM solution is currently an extension to our ProductTrak for Life Sciences solution that is installed at several major pharmaceutical companies,” Acsis Chief Technology Officer John DiPalo said. “This extension of the solution into the packaging area provides a cost-effective and easy-to-implement way to incorporate data serialization into new and existing packaging lines while maintaining existing machine speed and quality. Cognex vision systems play a critical role in our SPDM solution by providing a compact, fast, and accurate method of reading and verifying the quality of 2-D barcodes.”